Protect Cats, the Public and Veterinarians in Illinois. Support HB 1533, Let’s Ban Declawing!

HB 1533 passed the House with a majority of 67-38. The bill is now being deliberated by the Senate. Below are a set of instructions to urge our legislators to ban the inhumane practice of declawing cats in the state of Illinois.

This bill is sponsored by Sen. Sara Feigenholtz and co-sponsored by Sen. Rachel Ventura.

Step 2:

Find your district’s senate member here.

Step 1:

Complete an HB 1533 Support Witness Slip

You can copy and paste our support letter found at the bottom of this page.

Step 3:

Send the following email to your senate member and call them to voice your support for this bill:

For Veterinarians

Subject: Support for HB1533 (amendment to Humane Care of Animals Act)

Dear Senator __________:

I am a veterinarian and I would like to express my strong support for HB 1533 (amendment to Humane Care of Animals Act), which would ban the practice of declawing cats in the state of Illinois.

Mounting evidence shows the detrimental effects declawing has on the well-being of cats. The Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association (ISVMA) position does not reflect the stance of many of its members, non-member veterinarians, veterinary professionals and animal lovers. Their lack of leadership in supporting similar legislation has failed to protect cats, veterinarians and the public from the negative impacts of cat declawing. We need to take a stand against cruel procedures that hurt animals. That is why we support HB 1533.

The ISVMA recently stated in an email to their members that “we oppose HB 1533 not to protect the procedure, but to protect our profession from unnecessary and inappropriate legislative interference in exercising our medical judgement. We oppose HB1533 because we firmly believe that veterinary decisions should be made by those who are appropriately educated and trained to make such decisions..”

However, there are instances when our institutions need to take a moral stand to protect the animals from harm, and follow the growing scientific evidence that does not support continued approval of this procedure. Declaw bans implemented throughout the world have been effective in protecting cats, veterinarians and the public from the detrimental impacts of declawing.

Veterinarians will still be able to educate and counsel their clients and have the backing of recent legislation to explain to their clients why this procedure is detrimental to cats. We know there are times when veterinary professionals refuse to comply with an animal caretaker’s wishes, they will seek out a veterinarian who will do their bidding. Passing this legislation will give veterinarians more authority in these interactions and help them advocate for the care of cats.

Veterinarians suffer moral distress and abuse from clients for not yielding to their clients’ wishes. Young veterinarians suffer when their bosses pressure them to perform this procedure. Having the backing of a law banning the procedure would take that burden off their shoulders. Sadly, not all veterinarians realize the detrimental effects of declawing and may be entrenched in antiquated practices and belief systems. It takes a drastic shift in laws in order to change these older ways that have been ingrained by years of habit.

It has been shown that declawing leads to many worse behavioral problems such as biting and urinating outside the litter box. Families who are unable to train a cat from using their claws, and unable to implement adjustments in their housing and furniture, will certainly be unable to deal with the increase in biting behavior and litter box issues that could result from declawing.

Research by Yeon, et al., (JAVMA 2001) found that 33% of cats suffer at least one behavioral problem after declaw or tendonectomy surgery. The study showed that 17.9% of cats had an increase in biting frequency or intensity and that 15.4% would not use a litter box. Additionally Bennett, et al showed that declawed cats were 18.5% more likely than non-declawed cats to bite and 15.6% more likely to avoid the litter box.

Even with modern anesthetic, and good pain management, post-surgical problems such as neuromas and phantom limb pain develop. In one report that studied cats for only five months after surgery, about 25% of cats developed complications from both declaw and tenectomy surgeries. The Paw Project states that “In declawed (and tendonectomizedized) cats, the tendons that control the toe joints retract after the surgery because they are no longer anchored to the bones, and over time these joints become essentially “frozen.” The toes can no longer be extended, but remain fully contracted for the lifetime of the cat.” We also know that there are many veterinarians who do not use modern equipment and analgesia.

Unfortunately, declawed cats have high rates of relinquishment to animal shelters because of the behavioral problems they develop. Work by Gary Patronek, VMD, Ph.D. published in JAVMA found that declawed cats were at an increased risk of relinquishment to animal shelters and that among relinquished cats, 52.4% of declawed cats were reported to exhibit litter box avoidance, compared to 29.1% of non-declawed cats.

Furthermore, there is no reason to declaw cats to protect human health. The NIH, CDC, US Public Health Service, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the Canadian Medical Association, all have specifically stated that the declawing is “not advised,” even for the animals of persons who are severely immunocompromised, including those with HIV. This opinion is echoed in statements on declawing published by the AAHA and the AAFP. The National Hemophilia Foundation and the American Cancer Society do not recommend declawing to protect humans from scratches.

Illinois should be a leader in the most advanced animal welfare and veterinary policies but in this instance, we are falling behind. We need to follow the science and protect the animals we care for from unnecessary pain and suffering. We urge you to please support HB1533 and align the science and our values with our policy choices.

We respectfully request you support this important measure.

Thank you for your consideration.

Your constituent,

[YOUR SIGNATURE]

[YOUR NAME, CLINIC]

[YOUR ADDRESS]

For General Public and Illinois Residents:

Subject: Support for HB1533 (amendment to Humane Care of Animals Act)

Dear Senator ____,

My name is ____ and I'm a resident of your district. I would like to express my strong support for HB 1533 (amendment to Humane Care of Animals Act), which would ban the practice of declawing cats in the state of Illinois.

Mounting evidence shows the detrimental effects declawing has on the well-being of cats. The Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association’s (ISVMA) position does not reflect the stance of many of its members, non-member veterinarians, veterinary professionals, and animal lovers. Their lack of leadership in supporting similar legislation has failed to protect cats, veterinarians, and the public from the negative impacts of cat declawing. We need to take a stand against cruel procedures that hurt animals. That is why I urge you to support HB 1533.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]